Coolum Beach Holiday House

The owners were lovely, and everything was close by. We had a great five-night stay and will be back. Virginia

We paid $615 for one awful night, then left, but management refused to refund the second night. For that price, they couldn't even provide little bottles of shampoo or conditioner. Calling this a resort feels wrong, it's more like a motel, and we've stayed in better ones. It's a shame, because more honesty and transparency when booking could have prevented this. We'd stayed at other resorts around Coolum and were shocked to find no elevator, just an exposed, steep staircase that was wet and slippery. We had a toddler, which we'd mentioned in our booking, and had to carry the child and our bags all the way to the top floor on one of the wettest weekends. They should have told us about the stairs before we booked, or when they called the day before to ask our arrival time. Our unit, number 18, was only partly renovated and wasn't clean enough to justify the price. There were crumbs in every fold of the couch, and the tables hadn't been wiped. The beds felt worse than motel beds, with springs digging into our backs whichever one we tried. Every bedroom faced the main road and had louvres. The traffic kept us to less than four hours of sleep, with noise until 1am and starting again before 5am. After two years without a getaway, this was a hundred times worse than staying home.

The apartment was spacious and very clean, with a pleasant balcony, and we enjoyed a few dips in the well-kept pool and spa. Secure underground parking was a nice extra. Coolum Beach Resort is in a great spot, just a minute on foot from the main shops and beach. The only downside was the traffic from Beach Rd. Quite a few drivers seemed to put their foot down going up the hill :(

The location was great, with everything right at your doorstep, and our unit was lovely. When our car broke down, managers Sandy and Brett went above and beyond to help us. We had such a fabulous stay. Thank you, Di & Charlie.